June 21, 2026
The Review
“I couldn’t believe when I stopped in here how horrible the customer service was… The girl behind the counter was texting on her phone during the dinner hours with an attitude… Unfortunately, they will never see any of my business due to how rude and unprofessional their staff was. 1 person can mess it up ... <a title="The Review" class="read-more" href="https://stonesoup.com/memoirs/the-review/" aria-label="Read more about The Review">Read more</a>
Where the Warmth Comes From
My family settles beside the fire, our shadows dancing behind us. Bare trees sway and shiver; the fire leans from side to side. Scattering sparks that look like restless stars, I see a sliver of light speed by — so, I wish. The grass is frigid; my hair blows in my face. Dried leaves race ... <a title="Where the Warmth Comes From" class="read-more" href="https://stonesoup.com/poems/where-the-warmth-comes-from/" aria-label="Read more about Where the Warmth Comes From">Read more</a>
June 20, 2026
A Letter To My 爸爸 (Baba)
a letter to my 爸爸(baba)i’m in my own little cornerof San Francisco as pineapple mint tonicbubbles against my tongue. more mint than pineapple and it’s got that greentaste (like a reminder): to frivolously spendfour dollars, to double pressa button and extend my armtowards the checkout for a soda— my dad’s lips never touched four-dollarsoda tonic ... <a title="A Letter To My 爸爸 (Baba)" class="read-more" href="https://stonesoup.com/poems/a-letter-to-my-%e7%88%b8%e7%88%b8baba/" aria-label="Read more about A Letter To My 爸爸 (Baba)">Read more</a>
June 13, 2026
My Crayon Conversations
My Crayon Conversations by Yatharth Chaturvedi, 9 , India I am an artist, I draw and sketch. I don't paint when I am sad, or when I am bored, I just do it because it makes me more happy. That is one thing I just do, like I breathe or go to school, it's my ... <a title="My Crayon Conversations" class="read-more" href="https://stonesoup.com/memoirs/my-crayon-conversations/" aria-label="Read more about My Crayon Conversations">Read more</a>
June 10, 2026
From that page
A diary reopened, rewritten, for that reason, A page I could not flip from, a chapter from that page. The soft folds of paper were damp, and smudged was the writing, An obstinate child within me, clinging to torn edges from that page. A collection of faded photographs, as if rewinding through my mind, Limited ... <a title="From that page" class="read-more" href="https://stonesoup.com/poems/from-that-page/" aria-label="Read more about From that page">Read more</a>
June 2, 2026
Far from Cured
I told myself I’d left it all behind, My cup of life filled up with laughter, lace, But I, far from cured, and far from refined. I swore no hand had poisoned my mind, This window, triple-bolted, swung with grace, I told myself I’d left it all behind. Resolve dissolved with just a glance, a ... <a title="Far from Cured" class="read-more" href="https://stonesoup.com/poems/far-from-cured/" aria-label="Read more about Far from Cured">Read more</a>
Stuck
Not even willing to recall yesterday, every mind strains to remember a bland moment, when forced to cope with times now stuck, the morrow would not let it slip away, and all modest times dismissed and meant to forget, for ask me at bed time what has happened in the morning. haunting me is one ... <a title="Stuck" class="read-more" href="https://stonesoup.com/poems/stuck/" aria-label="Read more about Stuck">Read more</a>
Growing Colder
I stepped off the bus, savoring the taste of my toothpaste. I’ve been getting better at brushing my teeth and hair recently, since starting my meds. Obviously, it was expensive, but I wanted to be the person I was before Gigi got sick. That Sadie smiled, put thought into her outfits, didn’t feel so heavy, ... <a title="Growing Colder" class="read-more" href="https://stonesoup.com/stories/growing-colder/" aria-label="Read more about Growing Colder">Read more</a>
A City I Never Saw
For most of my childhood, my grandmother's bright red Camry smelled faintly of J. perfume, old leather and sometimes McDonald's fries that we had eaten hours earlier but somehow could still smell. The air conditioning was always slightly too cold. The radio was never loud, just enough for us to hear old Coke Studio songs ... <a title="A City I Never Saw" class="read-more" href="https://stonesoup.com/memoirs/a-city-i-never-saw/" aria-label="Read more about A City I Never Saw">Read more</a>
Blinking
I hauled a moon-knife from my leather waist belt and chopped up the last strands of weeds from the dry, crispy earth. It’s really supposed to be called a sickle, but I just call it a moon-knife. Our tribe had cut down some trees and made an empty lot for our tents and campfires, but ... <a title="Blinking" class="read-more" href="https://stonesoup.com/stories/blinking/" aria-label="Read more about Blinking">Read more</a>
Breathing Pain
Your laugh echoes With it comes pain Pain that wades through my mind Past the words to block it My skin tingles A reminder of the days of ago Of your curses Curses of a gift to hear My heart thumps It spreads to my throat I breathe I breathe There is a person breathing ... <a title="Breathing Pain" class="read-more" href="https://stonesoup.com/poems/breathing-pain/" aria-label="Read more about Breathing Pain">Read more</a>
Brimming with Nothingness
There once was a vase with a flower, rosy and plump, like peaches, sweet and soft, slim like a sprout of elegant green, with a graceful figure. She lived in a vase made of glistening, crystal-clear glass, an embracing enclosure of dewdrops, devoted to its lady. Flower and vase, crystal and stem entwined— has time ... <a title="Brimming with Nothingness" class="read-more" href="https://stonesoup.com/poems/brimming-with-nothingness/" aria-label="Read more about Brimming with Nothingness">Read more</a>
June 1, 2026
Paw, Hand, and Floor
I had no official business near the couch, which is why my head was held high, like an austere national security inspector. I was not a busybody. I bowed to no one. I only placed myself near the hand. And yet, the nearer each paw trotted, the lower my head sank, as the plea and ... <a title="Paw, Hand, and Floor" class="read-more" href="https://stonesoup.com/poems/paw-hand-and-floor/" aria-label="Read more about Paw, Hand, and Floor">Read more</a>
May 31, 2026
Flash Contest: Short deadline contest for powerful works of art.
The May 2026 Prompt As the weather changes, for this month’s Flash Contest, we ask you to juxtapose any two seasons. You can look at a small moment or detail in each season, capture your own or a character’s change from season to season, or compare seasons in different time periods (for example, what would ... <a title="Flash Contest: Short deadline contest for powerful works of art." class="read-more" href="https://stonesoup.com/flash-contests-short-deadline-for-writing-art-and-music/" aria-label="Read more about Flash Contest: Short deadline contest for powerful works of art.">Read more</a>
May 30, 2026
Awaiting the Rush
Awaiting the rush means I must marinate in restlessness. I’m reminded that once a consciousness slides, it receives a static shock from the Playground Gods in order to bring it further from dreaming. I am an inattentive, distracted mother of birds, and I am starved of sweet sleep. Today I will decide if I would ... <a title="Awaiting the Rush" class="read-more" href="https://stonesoup.com/poems/awaiting-the-rush/" aria-label="Read more about Awaiting the Rush">Read more</a>
May 29, 2026
Seventh Annual Stone Soup Novel and Long Form Fiction Contest
The purpose of this contest is to encourage you to challenge yourself with long form fiction. As writers you will already know that the longer you make your story the more difficult it is to finish. Just completing a longer work of fiction is an accomplishment in and of itself. This contest encourages you to ... <a title="Seventh Annual Stone Soup Novel and Long Form Fiction Contest" class="read-more" href="https://stonesoup.com/stone-soup-novel-contest/" aria-label="Read more about Seventh Annual Stone Soup Novel and Long Form Fiction Contest">Read more</a>